Blank Paper; A Day in the Life of a Writer

A Story by STurner

How I look at writing these days

Everyday, around the world, we writers face the inevitable blank page. Some of us greet the blank page with expectation, others with trepidation, and others with a myriad of feelings as unique as the writer themselves. Over the years, I have felt a great many things but it has only been occasionally that I felt true brilliance dawning. Recently, I have come upon another feeling and a new recognition of the endless hours I spend hammering away at my computer’s keyboard.

That new feeling is gratitude. The new recognition is that the blank sheet of paper before me is really another blessed day in my life as a writer. Like the new day, the page is blank before I write on it. The blank page is a sacred place of endless possibilities and is the totality of free will. Nothing will go on that page that I do not choose to put there. If I choose to write words appear. Choosing not to write is also an act of free will and the page will remain as I found it.

Understanding Gratitude

What exactly is gratitude? I once had a friend in Alcoholic’s Anonymous who said “No matter what life hands me, no matter what problems I face, I am can be glad and thankful that I am sober and above ground.” For writers, that can be amended to say “No matter where I am or what is facing me, I am glad and thankful that I have a story to tell.” Stories abound. Every time we pick up our cell phones or bump into our relatives or neighbors, we have a story to tell. In America, we still retain the freedom of expression and so the right to write. This is something that we do not share with everyone else in the world. Some writers write at peril to themselves. They may be faced with imprisonment, torture or worse. So you might start the day and the blank page with the freedom that most American writers take for granted.

Find the Love

One of the swiftest ways to fill the page is to find the love in it. Love, one of the most misused words in the English vocabulary actually breaks down to this: Love, true love is the total acceptance of what is. By acceptance, I mean by coming to the place where we can look at the circumstances that surround us or the way another person is and not seek to change those circumstances or other person in any way.

We don’t have to like the circumstances. We don’t have to like the way another person acts or lives. We do owe it to ourselves to see the facts (not our version of it) and accept what is as what is. Perfect love conquers all. We are not perfect and neither is our love. Hopefully, we all have a special someone to love. How many of us want to bend them to our ways? How hard is it not to interfere with their growth and their search for answers?

For example, as a father of three, I would proclaim it as “damned difficult.” As a parent as with all caring parents, I want the best for my children and I’d like for them not to make a lot of the mistakes I’ve made in life. Still, life is a classroom. We are, whether we like it or not, either beginning, just completing or in the midst of a lesson. My children are no different. I received some careful training from all three of my children before I realized what they most want from me is to provide an occasional safety net, a shoulder to cry on or the backboard that they hurl their basketball of ideas toward. It also means that Great Spirit gave me two ears and one mouth so that I might listen more than I speak. The rest of the time I am just suppose to accept them as they are. Talk about some stories to tell, this lesson of acceptance could take up volumes. Oh, and just in case you don’t have children feel free to substitute children with spouse, best friend, close relative, needy neighbor, etc.

Write With Honor

Honor is one of those words heard infrequently in our society. To honor is to treat with respect and dignity. When you begin to write on that blank page, write with honor. Be truthful and respectful of others and yourself. Stories stem from differences of opinion, culture and lifestyle. Changing names, places and circumstances can still allow you to get your point across, tell a good and honorable story.

If you want others to take you seriously, then you must act professionally. Follow rules of grammar and use spell check. Check and recheck your writing sources. Resist sloppiness and the easy way out. Great stories have been marred by lack of research and mistakes made in haste. Lastly, give credit where it is due. Don’t libel or plagiarize. Your karma nor your writing career can afford it.